Pokémon Legends: Z-A Announced! Rebuilding Mirai City, Mega Evolution Returns

At the Pokémon press conference, the new Pokémon game was finally announced. It's not Pokémon Black and White or Pokémon Gold and Silver, but Pokémon Legends: Z-A! The game will be released in 2025 for the Nintendo Switch. This installment is being developed by the renowned Game Freak.

The official introduction states that the stage of this game is "Mirai City," a place that aims for coexistence between people and Pokémon and is vigorously promoting urban redevelopment. A brand-new adventure will unfold here. Mirai City first appeared in Pokémon X/Y and is the core city of the Kalos region. It is also the most populous, largest, and most bustling city known in the Pokémon world. The reconstruction of Mirai City may imply that the city will become even larger and may have completely different areas for players to explore. The fact that the official statement talks about rebuilding Mirai City rather than the Kalos region suggests that this game might be a spin-off game with a smaller scale than Pokémon Legends XY.

Interestingly, the game is not named Pokémon Legends: Giratina or Pokémon Legends: XY, but Pokémon Legends: Z-A. The officials did not specify the reason for the naming. The original game names "X" and "Y" represent the "X-axis" and "Y-axis," indicating that people have a variety of different thoughts and ways of thinking, yet they also have many commonalities.

According to the introduction, this game is a reimagining of Mirai City. The trailer released this time is a teaser, and not much content has been revealed. However, the iconic tower of Mirai City can be seen. However, from the trailer, it seems that the game's timeline will change, shifting from the original modern style to a futuristic setting. It is believed that the paradox Pokémon from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will play a significant role here, and there should be more technologically advanced Pokémon appearing.

It is currently unclear whether Pokémon Legends: Z-A will continue to use some of the well-received innovative systems from Pokémon Legends: Arceus, such as two capture modes, real-time combat systems, and so on. It is also unknown whether the game will still be in the grinding mode.

The most anticipated feature of this game seems to be the return of Mega Evolution. Over the years, Game Freak has introduced Dynamax and Terraforming, but the overall evolution effects still can't compare to the original Mega Evolution. Therefore, the final hint of the Mega system in this game is probably the most anticipated thing for players.

Finally, the game is stated to be released on the Switch in 2025. Considering the game's development progress and time, it is believed that this game is developed for the Switch platform, so there is no talk of it being a flagship title for the Switch 2. Therefore, there should not be too much surprise in terms of graphics for this game.

It can be said that with the announcement of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the direction of the Pokémon Legends spin-off series has been officially set, which is urban reconstruction. Pokémon Legends: Arceus was an ancient reconstruction of the Hisui region, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A is a futuristic reconstruction of Mirai City. Following this route, the next installment should be an ancient reconstruction of another region. Make good use of paradox Pokémon.

Pokémon X·Y is a role-playing game for the Nintendo 3DS developed by Game Freak, and it is the sixth generation of the Pokémon series. It was released globally on October 12th. The game is set in the Kalos region, which is designed after the northern half of France. The goal of the game is to thwart the plans of the antagonist team, the Flame Corps, and to challenge the Pokémon League. The game features 3D graphics for representation. The game introduces 72 new Pokémon and a Fairy type, customizable characters, new battle training mechanisms, and fully applies polygonal 3D graphics, instead of the 2D images or animations in previous generations. A new evolution form called "Mega Evolution" allows players to evolve many Pokémon that are already in their final evolved form once more. The two versions of the game are independent of each other but have essentially the same plot and can be played independently and trade limited Pokémon.

The starter Pokémon for Pokémon X·Y are Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie. The cover legendary Pokémon are Xerneas and Yveltal.